Always on the Run
by Tessizzle22
Summary: Arrie and Nerin have been on the run from hunters ever since they can both remember. When they find themselves at the mercy of Sam and Dean Winchester, their idea of who hunters are changes forever. Sam and Dean have to define for themselves who the real monsters are and whose lives are worth saving. Mermaid-fic. AU. Romance. Adventure. Suspense.
1. Hitchhiking

**Author's note:**

 **Hello Supernatural Fandom. This is my first ever fanfic, so please give me feedback. I wrote this based on a dream I had, with some embellishments of course. Thanks for reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

My brother and I were standing on the edge of the road, he sat on a rock a little ways off. He knew I didn't like him near traffic, and was used to waiting. It was pretty cold out that night and I was thankful that the last couple we stayed with had given us winter jackets. What a sweet couple they were, fed us too, but we had to move on. Always moving on. Otherwise they find us, and when they do it doesn't matter to them who they hurt. It doesn't matter whose life they destroyed, only that they get what they want.

I can't do it again. No, I won't let anyone else die because of me. Not if I can prevent it. So, there I was, standing in the cold, waiting, hoping that a car would drive by on this back road. It was unlikely at this time of night, and I hated traveling these roads but I had no choice. They were gaining ground on us and I was sure they were no more than a day behind us. We walked probably six miles that day and that doesn't sound very far but when you are cold and have a ten-year-old by your side, six miles can be an eternity. It's not that Nerin complained much or even walked very slow, it was just that I knew he was miserable. I mean how could he not be? All he knows is the road. Moving from town to town, never knowing where we will lay our weary heads to rest. It isn't the life I wanted for him, but I guess we didn't have a choice. Not when they relentlessly hunt us.

Just when I was about to give up on getting a ride, I see this old vehicle speeding towards us in the distance. I didn't recognize it as any of the cars owned by the men who were chasing us, so I took in a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. Nerin got up and took my hand and I put my sunglasses on. I started to wave frantically because frankly I was desperate and it was so damn cold. Thankfully the car slowed and pulled over, and a tall looking man in the passenger's seat rolled down his window. He gave me a dimpled smile, "Do you guys need some help?" He looked back to his friend in the driver's seat, they were alone. His friend just rolled his eyes at him and then forced a smile while he waved at us with his right hand.

I quickly stepped up closer to the window, my brother in tow. "Oh, yes please, if you wouldn't mind giving my brother and I a lift. It is so cold out and you're only the second car I have seen all day."

The taller one looked at me with some compassion in his eyes, a look only given by someone who knows what it is like to be in that situation. "Yes, of course. You can hop into the back."

"Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to us." I exclaimed as I opened the door to let Nerin in first. We placed our back packs on the middle seat and I closed the door. The car was in good shape for the make and model, a Jet black 1967 Chevy Impala. I had always been a fan of old cars and Chevys were my favorite.

"So, I uh, didn't catch your names." It was the tall one, turning to talk to us with his dimpled smile.

"Oh, I am so sorry. My name is Arrie and this is my little brother Nerin. Nerin, tell these gentlemen thank you."

"Thanks." Nerin squeaked. He was a shy boy, but he always listened to me when I asked him to interact with others.

"Absolutely. My name is Sam and this is my older brother Dean. Can I ask what happened? Is there a car we can take you to that is having troubles or…" He smiled, and I could tell he was trying to be polite but also wanted my story.

"That's a long story, and uh no. No, I don't have a car." I paused, not sure what to share or if I could even trust them. "If you could let us tag along until the next city or small town, that would really help us out a lot."

Dean was eyeing me from the rearview mirror, my sunglasses obviously bothering him. It was obvious I had something to hide, I just hoped he wouldn't ask me about it.

"Sure, yeah. That's not a problem, we are a few hours away from Lebanon. We can drop you off at a hotel there if you would like." I appreciated that Sam didn't push me to share why we were hitch hiking.

After a few moments of awkward silence and some glances filled with silent communication between Sam and Dean, Dean asked, "I have to ask where your parents are? I mean you both look a little young to be out here all alone. Did something happen to them?"

Dang, I was really hoping he would let it go, but it was clear that he wasn't as trusting as his younger brother.

"Yeah, I might look young, but I'm not. I am nineteen and he is ten. We can take care of ourselves. Besides, we don't have parents." I looked at Nerin and guilt gripped my heart. "Our dad left after I was born and our mother passed away shortly after Nerin was born. Been in the system. Didn't work out for us very well, so we have been on the run ever since. We just haven't found a safe place to call home yet."

"Who are you running from?" It was Dean again, "And uh, what's with the fashion statement? Are you blind or just a Corey Hart fan?"

I paused probably a little longer than I should have, but this guy was making me nervous. They seemed to buy my story about our "parents," but Dean seemed a little too curious about everything. "Who is Corey Hart?"

"Who is… damn I am getting old. Never mind kid, just answer the question."

"No, I am not blind. I just have a nasty scar and some damage to my eyes that makes them light sensitive. I wear these all the time, it's kind of embarrassing. Let's just say the foster system did not end well for us." I was lying through my teeth. One would think I would be better at it by now, but it has never been one of my strong suits.

Dean eyed me from the rearview mirror. I felt like this was an interrogation, one that I needed to pass to survive.

"So, who are you running from?" Sam turned towards us so he could make eye contact. I stared back at him, although I don't think he could tell with how dark my glasses were. His look showed he was serious and that my lies weren't being bought as easily as I thought.

I looked at Nerin, and he was just staring at the little Aquaman figurine that he always carried around with him. I wished he didn't have to go through this.

"It's a long story. Not to be rude, but I am not too keen on sharing." I gave my most sincere smile in hopes they would let it slide. That's when I noticed the flash of light in the rearview mirror. My heart thudded as I realized that they were speeding up to our vehicle. My mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario and I turned around to see if I recognized the driver. It was too dark though and I couldn't tell, but something wasn't right. I scooched up closer to the front, "Listen this is going to sound crazy, but I think the people behind us are some of the men chasing us." I tried not to sound as bewildered as I felt.

"How do you know?" Sam asked as Dean cursed under his breath.

"Listen sister, if you want our help you have to start talking." Dean started to speed up and the pickup behind us kept up easily inching ever so closer to the back bumper of the Impala. "I swear if they touch baby, I am going to rip somebody's lungs out."

"I. You. You wouldn't understand!" That's when I saw the red dot traveling along the top of the back of Sam's seat. Before I even could scream, or my brain could fully register what was going on I heard the back window breaking. Then I felt the searing pain rip through my shoulder. I instantly reached for it with my good arm and felt the warm blood seeping from the wound. As I blacked out, I could hear Nerin crying and Dean yelling, "Son of a bitch."


	2. The Truth Comes Out

**Author's Note: Hello Supernatural Fandom! Welcome back. For this chapter I wanted to really establish the connection between Arrie and Nerin, who's bond will have some parallels to the Winchester brothers, but some distinct differences. I hope you enjoy this and please give me feedback. I would love to hear from you all. I am very open to suggestions.**

* * *

By the time I regained consciousness I was in a hospital bed. The sounds of various machines beeping and the smell of cleaners greeted me as I struggled to open my eyes. I felt very heavy, like I had just been… That's right, I was shot. Images flashed through my brain, reminding me I was indeed shot. I finally opened my eyes and was greeted by Nerin leaning over me just inches from my face. His cheeks were blotchy and his eyes were blood shot. I could tell he had been crying for who knows how long. A smile lit his face as our eyes met, "Arrie!"

Nerin threw himself onto me and began to sob. "Nerin." I mumbled, as the pain hit me like a brick wall. "Nerin… I love you… but… you have to get up… my shoulder." I gasped as he released me from his loving grip of death.

"I thought you were…" Nerin broke out into more sobbing.

I reached out and grabbed his hand, "Oh Nerin, I…. I am going to be okay. It's going to take more than a bullet to get me down. Come on you know me, I can escape from anything, right?"

Nerin nodded his head, trying to calm his breathing as he wiped the snot from his face with his other hand.

I looked in his eyes and tried to reassure him that I was okay, and that I would get better. It was then that I noticed the bright green glow of my eyes reflecting off his and terror shot through me. I wasn't wearing any glasses. Panicking, I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that nobody but Nerin saw me. I covered my eyes with one hand, because the temptation to open them could be overwhelming at times.

"Nerin! My glasses. I need them. Now." I heard some shuffling around and felt Nerin remove my hand and gently put them on, something he had done a few dozen times before.

Luck was in my favor because as soon as Nerin put on the glasses, the brothers who had given us car rides came in with a doctor in tow. The doctor was a short man in comparison to the very tall brothers, especially the younger one which towered significantly over everyone else. The brothers were both wearing cheap looking tuxes and wore the posture of cops, something they had failed to mention in the car the other night. The doctor had kind eyes that were filled with worry and it made my stomach churn as I realized he might have seen my eyes sometime during my stay here. "Hello Arrie, my name is Doctor Ferlin, I was coming in to check up on you. I am pleased to see that you are awake, you have been out for almost two days since the surgery on your shoulder. I am happy to say that we successfully removed the bullet and that you are a very lucky girl because if it had been an inch in any other direction it would have hit a major artery."

He must have noticed my nervous glance at Nerin because he added, "Don't worry we took good care of Nerin! You have a wonderful little brother Ma'am, he wouldn't let us take him from your side after your surgery was completed. I wanted to do a checkup first but under the circumstances these federal agents insisted they speak with you as soon as you woke up. This is Agent Blake and Agent Woods, I will leave them with you and then come back for some routine checkups."

I immediately noticed that they had different last names, which made me wonder if they were lying to me. As the doctor shut the door behind him, Sam came and pulled up a chair next to Nerin by my hospital bed. Dean stayed standing, his arms crossed and his jaw set in a way that showed he was upset about something.

"So, are you guys really cops?"

Dean rolled his eyes and Sam ignored the question, "Arrie, I am glad you are okay."

It bothered me that he didn't answer my question, but I let it slide. I could tell he was being sincere and for that I was grateful. "Me too. What… what happened?"

Dean's eyes narrowed before replying in his gruff voice, "What do you remember?"

I gasped as a wave of pain came with the memories, "I remember getting a ride from you guys and then… there was this truck and I… I saw a red laser." I paused, wracking my brain for more information, but that was all it had for me. "I don't remember anything else. What happened after I was shot?"

Sam seemed to drink up every word I said, analyzing it to see if I was genuine or not. "After you were shot, I leaned out the window while Dean stepped on the gas and I managed to hit the driver. He swerved off into the ditch and we didn't stop for them. We drove here and then they got you into surgery… you lost a lot of blood."

I looked at Nerin again, imagining how horrifying it would have been if he had gotten shot instead of me. I decided I better not let my mind travel down that "what if" road, it only leads to unnecessary anxiety. Nerin just sat by my bed looking at me like I might vanish at any moment, and squeezing my hand like he had to hold me down so that I didn't blow away.

Dean moved closer to my bed and I could feel the uneasiness rolling off him. "Don't worry we made sure Nerin was taken care of."

I nodded and half smiled, hoping he would understand my gratitude.

"We left you here and went back to see if the driver and car were still there." Sam finished as if that was the end of the story.

"Well…" I said looking at them both, "What did you find?"

They both exchanged glances with each other as if they were deciding whether to lie or not and finally Sam replied, "Well, we found the car, but no one was inside. There was a lot of blood, but we lost the trail." Sam looked guilty after saying that, and I wondered what he wasn't telling me.

"You mean whoever shot me is still out there?" I asked in honest disbelief. By the looks of it they were skilled cops and I had high hopes that they would of killed him.

"Alright, enough questions." Dean grumbled, his irritation evident in his body language. "You have some explaining to do. Last time I checked run-aways don't normally have an assassin or whoever that was after them." Dean stood over me now, and I felt very intimidated. "Start talking."

I began to panic as I tried to think of what I should tell them. Something inside me decided the truth, but it had been so long since I shared that. "The truth?" Sam nodded encouraging me to go on. "You wouldn't believe me."

"Oh, believe me, we have heard of some pretty crazy stuff. You can tell us the truth."

I can't do this! What if they are real cops and will put me in the loony bin? What if they try to take Nerin away from me?

"Okay… well I am… I am… I am not human."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Also a special thanks to DemonSkitty for the nice review. I hope to update this once a week, but my life is kind of hecktick so we shall see. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. :)**


	3. Are you a good Hunter? Or a bad Hunter?

**Author's note: Hello again Supernatural Fandom! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It is a little shorter than the other two. I have not had as much time to write because of the holidays. Anyways please feel free to leave me a review. I would love to get feedback! Thanks again to DemonSkitty for her very nice reviews and thanks to all the readers! Have a happy New Year everybody!**

Arrie felt her whole body tense as she prepared for rejection. Her mind was reeling. How could she have told two men who dressed like feds who clearly weren't feds, a secret no one knew but Nerin? Her heart told her to confide in them, but her mind was screaming no. It was too late to take it back now, she just hoped that this didn't get her killed.

Sam looked at me with new intensity, but remained by bedside. Dean on the other hand was very upset. His eyes pierced through me and I held his gaze as he set his jaw again, "Take your glasses off."

I breathed a little easier because at least they didn't reject it. They didn't even question it. I looked down, my long auburn hair falling into my face as I closed my eyes and took off the sunglasses.

I looked up expecting some shock, but was greeted with fascination from Sam and Dean just shook his head and started pacing back and forth.

"That's is? Not even a gasp? I just revealed to you my biggest secret and showed you that my eyes are glowing bright green! You don't even bat an eye? Who are you guys?" Panic laced through my voice. What if I was wrong about them? What if they weren't here to help me? What if they were… hunters?

Sam smiled a little, "That's a long story. Let's just say glowing eyes aren't exactly weird for us."

Dean stopped pacing and loomed over me, "We are the Winchester brothers. Ever heard of us?"

My eyes widened and I quickly scanned the room in search of an escape route, I had never heard of them before, but obviously they thought I should which could only mean one thing. "You are hunters aren't you?"

Now Dean was really smirking, "Hell yeah we are. Now tell us what you are!"

I looked at Sam pleadingly, "I can't tell you here. Please. Just let me and Nerin go. We aren't dangerous. I… I can show you what I am but you have to take me somewhere safe."

Nerin sat quietly still holding on to my hand tightly. His head hung low, and I wondered if it was out of being scared or just being fed up with always getting into these types of situations.

"Okay, we can take yo…"

"Sammy. Can I talk to you outside for a moment?" Dean gestured towards the door and jerked his head for emphasis. It was then that I noticed the knife in his hand. I looked back at Nerin as Sam followed his brother out the door.

"Nerin listen to me. We don't have much time. If they agree to help us, I want you to promise me that the second you see the chance to run that you take it."

Tears welled up in his eyes and his voice cracked, "I can't leave you."

"You have to." I wiped away a tear that was making its way down his cheek. "Nerin I believe in you. You are stronger than you know. I am tired of running. I am tired of putting you in harm's way. If something happened to you…"

I shook my head and blinked back some tears, no I can't be weak. I must be strong for Nerin's sake. I mustered up a smile, "Hey, look at me. You are going to be fine. The second you get a chance to run. Do it. Don't worry about me, I will find a way to get back to you. Remember what the safe places are?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah, I can go to a firehouse, or a… um… policeman?"

"Yes, that's right!" I encouraged him by squeezing his hand and nodding for him to continue. "What's the third safe place?"

Nerin stared out the window for a moment, "A church."

A genuine smile lit my face, hopefully Nerin would make it out of this mess alive. I glanced out the door and noticed Dean throwing his arms in the air, which did not seem like a good sign to me.

A few moments later he came bursting through the door, his not-so-little brother following right behind them. Both of them did not look happy, I just hoped that it was with each other and not me.

Sam shot his brother a death glare before giving me his full attention, "We talked and we are willing to help you."


	4. I Lost My Shoes

**Author's Note: Hello Supernatural Fandom! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I think it is the longest so far, so hopefully that will make up for such a short chapter last time. Let me know what you would prefer? Longer chapters like this one? Or shorter like the previous? Feedback is always appreciated. Special thanks to DemonSkitty for her recent reviews and to every reader!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. (I keep forgetting to add this… I just kind of assume y'all know)**

"Really? You're going to help me?" I was sincerely shocked. The thought of a couple of hunters helping someone like me had never crossed my mind. Hunters hated me. In their eyes, I am just another monster.

"Don't thank us yet sister. We are going to help you, but I swear if you try anything. I mean anything, you little green eyed freak." Dean threatened me. As if I would even try to do something.

I put the sunglasses back on, over the years they had become a part of me and I felt naked without them. "So, what now?"

Sam was staring at Nerin and I knew what he was thinking, "No, he isn't like me. You don't have to worry about him."

"Well, first things first, we have to get you out of here. You able to walk after that surgery?" Sam's eyebrows furrowed as he contemplated how to get us out of the hospital.

"Yeah, I am fine. It was my shoulder that was shot, not my legs remember. Besides this isn't my first rodeo, but uh… I need some real cloths." I blushed.

Nerin looked up his blue eyes filled with confidence, "I know where they are." He got up and went over to a cupboard below the window and pulled out my cloths. He frowned and he lifted my blood-soaked shirt with a hole in it. "I don't think these will work."

"She can wear my jacket over it for now." Dean started taking off his leather jacket, but stopped when he realized we were all staring at him with surprised expressions on our faces. "What? A guy can't be a gentleman every once in a while. See this is why I don't try."

Sam laughed, "Well, there is a first time for everything."

Dean rolled his eyes, "Bitch."

"Jerk." Sam snapped back. "So much for gentlemen." He mumbled.

"What about the doctor? Can we please get out of here before he comes back? I don't want to try to explain to him my green eyes…"

"Yeah, Sam will handle it. Get dressed and be ready in five minutes." Dean commanded as he laid his leather jacket on the end of my bed.

"Oh sure, leave me with the hard work." Sam whined as they both headed for the door.

"Damn straight. This was you're plan. You get to do the dirty work."

After they left Nerin helped support me as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, I immediately regretted the fast movement as shooting pains ran up my arm and shoulder. I tried my best not to grimace too much, but it didn't work.

"Are you okay? Maybe we shouldn't move you. Why can't the doctor see you?" Nerin looked at me with pleading eyes as he tried his best to persuade me to stay.

"I'm fine." I assured him by trying to sit a little taller and smiling. It was a lie, but it would have to work. I had to be fine. We didn't have time for me to be injured. Besides everything would be fine, I just had to get to water. I just needed them to take us somewhere safe.

Nerin didn't seem convinced, but over the years he had learned that I was as stubborn as they come and that it was pointless to argue if I had already made up my mind.

Nerin helped me change back into my jeans and exchange the light blue hospital gown for Dean's leather jacket. It was overly large on me, but I was thankful for it because I needed the looseness for my injured shoulder. I had to carefully pull out the IV and detach all the monitor attachments which made the machines beep loudly and Nerin had to run to unplug it.

Dean came in when he heard the machine give the flatline alarm, his expression turning from alert to surprise. I tried not to notice, but he was definitely checking me out in his leather jacket. I suddenly felt like the room was getting very hot and realized I was blushing. Damnit this is not the time to be oogling at a hunter. Even if he is hot… I shook my head. A hunter is exactly what he was, there is no way I could trust him. His job was to hunt people like me and my job was to run or die and today is not going to be the day I kick the bucket. Sure, I may need the hunters for now, but as soon as I am healed… it's back to the road we go.

"So, you just going to stare at me or are you going to help me up. Mr. I'm-such-a-Gentleman."

Dean seemed to check back into reality and hurried over to help me stand up. I took in a sharp intake of breath as the medication was wearing off much faster than I had anticipated.

Dean's gripped me a little tighter, but he didn't push me beyond my limits. He was surprisingly gentle for a guy who seemed to have such a rough shell and an ego to match it. Part of me hoped these hunters weren't going to be as bad as all of the others, but experience told me not to trust them. I don't know what angle their playing with helping me, but soon they will see what I am and I am sure they will turn into a monster and we will have to be back on the run.

We made our way towards the door and Nerin opened the door for us. Sam was just outside the door, he looked a little annoyed, but he was in one piece and the doctor was nowhere to be seen so whatever he did must have worked.

He placed a hand on Nerin's shoulder as we all made our way down the hallway. "I parked just outside the back exit. If we can just get through the back stairwell we should be fine."

We reached the stairwell before I realized I noticed the cold tiles slapping against my bare feet. "Shit, I forgot my shoes…" I realized as I said it that it would be a perfect way to ditch them. All I had to do was get Nerin and I away from them and I'm sure we could find a place to hid until they forgot about us or gave up trying.

"What you want to wear my shoes now too?"

I actually laughed, which hurt a lot. "No, just let me go back to the room and put them on. You guys go on ahead. Nerin and I will be right there."

"Not a chance." Dean spat, "What you think we are that dumb to let you out of our sight when we don't even know what kind of freak you are?"

"Look, I told you I am harmless. Besides, you think I will get far with my injured shoulder?"

Sam and Dean exchanged looks.

"Please. They are my only pair. I will be right down. It's down that stairwell and through the exit right?"

"I am coming with you." Dean insisted, his grip around me tightening to an uncomfortable level.

"Excuse me… I um. I actually brought them, they are in my backpack. I just knew we were in a hurry… so I…" Nerin shrugged off his backpack and unzipped it to show them nestled amongst the few belongings he owned.

"Well, that was easy. You can put them on in the car, now let's move before anyone notices you're missing. Thanks, kid." Dean sneered and then began walking down the stairwell dragging me with him.

Damn. Well, I couldn't be upset with Nerin. I mean how could of the kid have known about my hopes of escape when I seemed to be going along with whatever the two men commanded.

We reached the car and Dean helped me into the backseat of the Impala. The window was replaced, and the car seemed to be back to normal. This car must be pretty special to the brother's if they fixed it so fast. Well, if I was going to be stuck with these… Winchesters, I might as well try to make the best of it.

"I am sorry about your car."

"Yeah, no thanks to you I had to work on her all night. My poor baby." Dean's voice turning from anger to sympathy for his vehicle. It was weird to see a hunter doing something other than… well other than hunt I guess. Seeing Dean's love for the Impala made him seem too human. No, I wouldn't let myself fall for this. He was a hunter, who cares how human he is. It won't change the fact that this was all going to end soon. I just hoped for Nerin's sake that it didn't end in more bloodshed.


	5. Taken to the Bunker

**Author's Note: General spoilers for season 8. If you haven't noticed this story is a little AU because I will not be covering anything major in the plot-lines of the series. Special thanks to DemonSkitty and Leana Nas for their recent comments and support! And thanks to every reader! I love feedback so don't be shy.**

* * *

"Where are you taking us?" I asked through gritted teeth. Dean wasn't exactly a conscientious driver and any trace of pain killer was long gone. I held my shoulder with my good arm as if it could stop the pain or at least steady it. "Could you drive a little more hurky-jerky? I don't think your hitting enough of the potholes."

Dean glared at me from the rearview mirror, a look I was getting used to from him. "Sorry, I was really trying to hit them all. I will do better next time." He rolled his eyes, but I did notice the ride was smoother after that.

"We are taking you somewhere safe. Actually, I need you to put these on." Sam passed us two black blindfolds.

I gave him an incredulous glance, but nodded for Nerin to put it on me. This whole ordeal was becoming a lot more than I bargained for. I just wanted to keep Nerin safe and out of the cold, and now I was shot and we were riding in a car with hunters who just had us blindfolded and were taking us to an unknown destination. Yep, definitely was not going according to plan. I reached out and held Nerin's hand. He squeezed it, and I smiled because it felt like he was reassuring me. How did I end up so lucky to have him in my life. Oh, if only his father could see him now.

I heard a click and then jumped a little as _Let There Be Rock_ started blaring from the back speaker. Figures a guy like Dean would be into old Rock.

"Dean." The volume went down a few clicks.

"What?" He pretended to be innocent, as the sound went up another click.

Damn. I wish they would stop acting so human. It was really making it hard to hate them. But then I remembered what happened in Maine with those monsters. All the screaming and the smell of burnt flesh came flooding back into my mind, and it became a lot easier to hate them again.

About twelve AC/DC songs later and the Impala came to a stop. "Alright, we are here." Sam hollered as if the blindfolds affected our hearing or something. Maybe it was just the after-effects of loud Rock 'n' Roll.

Sam opened my door and helped me out of the vehicle. I was again taken aback with how gentle he and Dean were being each time they helped me. He was careful to support my good side and not bump my injured shoulder at all. "Alright this way."

"Nerin?" Anxiety filled me as I wondered if this was all a tick and that these Winchesters were really just going to take him away from me and do who knows what to me.

"I'm okay." Relief washed over me.

"We aren't going to hurt your brother. I promise." Sam whispered into my ear as we walked down a flight of stairs.

Something about Sam felt so comforting. I just wanted to believe every word he said. He was so strong, yet gentle and compassionate. I wished things were different, that we didn't have to be enemies. Then maybe we could have been something else.

I heard the scratching of furniture moving across the floor and then I was being softly pushed down into a chair and it sounded like the same was being done for Nerin. Wherever we were smelled like dust and old fast-food.

"You can take your blindfolds off now." Sam informed us.

I slowly lifted mine from my eyes and had to blink a few times so that they could adjust to the lighting. I was surprised to find myself in a well-furnished building. My eyes darted around the room as I searched for easy escape routes, something that had become like second nature to me after years of being on the run. I immediately noticed the lack of windows and speculated that we were somewhere underground given the flight of stairs we just descended. I also noticed the how old everything looked and wondered how a couple of young hunters scored a place like this, they probably stole it from some rich doomsday fool. Since there were no windows, it looked like the only way Nerin and I were getting out of here was back through the way we came. Which is not ideal to say the least.

I was seated at a table and Nerin was to my left. I looked him over to make sure he was okay and he seemed calm despite the circumstances. Sam was leaning against a wall nearby and Dean was pulling up a chair directly across the table from me.

"So, now what?" It was an honest question. I had never been in this vulnerable of a situation before.

Dean looked me over, taking his time before replying, "Now we get down to business. How about you show us what you really are?"

I shifted nervously in my seat and began taking off Dean's leather jacket as the room suddenly felt like it was stifling hot. I sucked in a breath as I remembered my throbbing shoulder and how hard it was to undress with one hand.

To my surprise, Sam came over quickly, "Here, let me give you a hand."

"Thanks." I mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"Yeah… uh no problem." Sam replied awkwardly as he set the jacket of the table next to Dean before arriving back to his spot leaning against the wall.

"Oh, so when he gets to be a gentleman its normal, but when I do it, it's a crime?" Dean said in mock-offense. "Anyways, you going to avoid this all day or just get this over with?"

I paused a lot longer than I should have. I guess there is no way I'm getting out of this unless I tell them the truth. "Okay… well it would be easier if I just showed you. Do you have a bathtub?"

Sam and Dean both gave me incredulous looks before replying in unison, "A bathtub?"

"Uh yeah… I need water to show you." I sheepishly responded as I took off my sunglasses.

Sam's stare intensified as we made eye contact. His light brown eyes were captivating. They held so much emotion. If Sam Winchester had a poker face, it must not have been a very good one because I felt like I could read every emotion in his eyes. I searched for the anger or disgust that I almost always found on hunter's faces when they saw my eyes, but instead I just found curiosity and caution.

Dean on the other hand looked very uneasy and gripped the hilt of his knife a little tighter. It was enough to bring me back from my wandering thoughts about Sam.

"Yeah, okay. How about you just tell me what you are. Is this some kind of trick? A bathtub?" Dean stood as he spoke, his voice raising with every syllable and pointed his knife at me.

"Dean." Sam grabbed his brother's shoulder and jerked him around. "Dean, it's fine. I think if she wanted to hurt us she would have done it already. Besides she is injured, so I'm sure we can handle whatever she is. It's two to one right."

Dean paused, and held his brother's gaze before replying, "Alight Sammy." Dean sheathed his knife and slapped his brother's arm away from him. "When this all goes downhill, don't say I didn't warn you. Come on Green Eyes, the bathroom is this way."

I turned towards Nerin, "Hey Nerin. Stay here okay. I will be fine I promise. Just play with Aquaman till I get back." Nerin obediently went and grabbed his backpack that was sitting nearby and retrieved his beloved toy.

Sam reached his arm out and silently offered to help me up. I smiled at him and he nodded and awkwardly avoided eye contact. I tried my best not to show how much pain I was in. Man, I hope I never get shot again.

We made our way through a kitchen and down a hall into a fairly large bathroom with an old bronze tub in the corner. Dean was standing next to it with his arms crossed. I noticed he had turned the water on and steam was rising from the tub. I felt excitement burst through my chest. I hadn't done this in a long time and I really missed the water. "Can you guys give me a moment?"

"Not a chance. The second we leave your going to try something." Dean snapped.

"Well, then can you at least be a gentleman and close your eyes?"

Dean blushed a little and looked at Sam who already had his back turned from us. Dean looked me over once, I suppose to make sure I hadn't turned into a monster yet and then begrudgingly squeezed his eyes shut.

"Thanks."

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just get on with it."

I worked as fast as I could to remove the bloodied jeans and stepped tentatively into the hot bathwater. It was way too hot, but I didn't have time to take it easy. I already felt the transformation starting. Easing myself gently into the water, I dunked my head under like I had a few hundred times before and emerged anew.

"You can open your eyes now."

* * *

 **Secondary Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Feedback is much appreciated. I'd love to hear some guesses as to what Arrie is!**


	6. Prove It

**Author's Note: Welcome back Supernatural Fandom! Sorry this took me so long to compose. I had to move for college starting back up and now have classes and homework and so on and so forth. Anyways, I'm back baby. Special thanks to Beachwishen, Leana Nas, DemonSkitty, and ArtistKurai for their recent comments and support. It means a lot to me to have such good feedback.**

* * *

Sam turned around slowly as if he was afraid. It was a different kind of fear, not that he was afraid of what I would become, but that he would have to do something about it.

Dean opened his eyes and immediately rolled them. "You're a mermaid? And here I was hoping for ancient sea demon or something like that."

I flipped my green tail over the side of the tub, "What? I told you I wasn't human, and that I wasn't dangerous. What else were you expecting?" Relief washed over me. They bought it. Now I really had to sell the innocent act if my plan was going to work. I had been thinking it over since the long car ride, and I figure if I am stuck with these Winchesters for a while, I might as well use them to my advantage. Besides, the ball was in my court now that I was in water.

Sam stepped up closer to me, eyeing me all over again. "So, are you a mermaid? Or a siren? Or some other creature with a mermaid tail?"

I looked him straight in the eyes and smirked a little, for some reason when I transformed it made me much more confident than I was in my human form. I scoffed, "A siren? As in perch myself on a rock and lure sailors to their death with my beautiful harmonies type of siren?"

"No, the siren that blares on top of cop cars." Dean's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

It was my turn to roll my eyes, "No, I am definitely not a siren. They are much uglier creatures than I. Not even distant relatives. I wouldn't stoop to their level of evil. No. I am a mermaid. Who do you think the Little Mermaid was inspired by?" Okay, not my best lie. But come on, the green eyes and tail and auburn hair, all I was missing was a fork and the musical. Hopefully I could get tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum to go along with it.

"So, does the tail come with the shell bra or did Disney just add that for fun?" Dean raised an eyebrow and tilted his head towards me, and I realized he might actually be trying to flirt with me. Or maybe he was still being sarcastic? It's hard to tell sometimes where Dean's sarcasm begins and his charm ends.

"Ha-ha very funny." I mocked back at him.

"You're the little mermaid? Really?" Sam interjected, his voice filled with skepticism.

"Yeah. I mean look at me. You see the similarities, right?"

I tried to distract them by reaching up and feeling my shoulder. I slowly peeled off the bandage, gritting my teeth as the adhesive tore away my little arm hairs. If I could just get one of them to touch me while I was in this form, then I was sure I could follow through with my plan.

The distraction worked and Sam noticed what I was doing. His eyes widened, "You're healed! That's amazing. Does that only happen in the water?" He came closer as he spoke, but Dean put his arm out and stopped him.

"Sammy." It was all the warning Sam needed. He nodded before shrugging Dean's arm off.

He knelt on one knee by the tub. "May I see?" Sam asked as he reached out towards my shoulder.

I nodded, pretending to be shy when really my heart was leaping for joy. He moved the short t-shirt sleeve up so he could examine what was once a bullet wound that was now pale smooth skin. "Yes, I have healing powers, but it only works when I am in my mermaid form." He rubbed where the bullet wound used to be with his thumb as I spoke, his attention zeroed in on it.

I took my other hand and placed it on his. It was only a moment of contact, but it was all I needed. I am not even sure he noticed because he just looked up and said, "Amazing. Not even a scar."

"Are you going to keep oogling over her magical healing powers or are we going to get down to business?" Dean danced his figures about in the air as he over-dramatized the word 'magical.'

Sam looked up at his brother, a mixture of annoyance and amusement painted across his face. He silently got up from his knee and took his place at his much shorter older brother's side.

"Get down to business? What is that supposed to mean? I did everything on my end, now you guys have to let me go." It honestly wasn't what I wanted, but I just had to make them believe the innocent act for as long as possible.

"We need to know why hunters have been chasing you. No offense, but from our experience there is always more to the supernatural than just being a fish out of water." Sam smiled at his own joke and looked at both of us to see if we caught on, then looked embarrassed when I gave him a small smile. Good. It was already working.

"Yeah, and if hunters were chasing you it means that you're dangerous." Dean stated in a matter of fact way.

My mind was racing, trying to choose between which lies to try and sell, "I know hunters were chasing me. But it wasn't because I am dangerous. It's because I have healing capabilities." Okay. Half-truth. That should be convincing enough.

"That shouldn't be enough for hunters to chase you. What aren't you telling us?" Dean commanded, his voice deepening in a threatening way.

I tried to look shocked and offended, "I am telling you the truth Dean!" I paused, and made another hurt expression. Sam looked at me with his puppy-dog brown eyes, and I knew I had him. "Besides, you didn't let me finish. The hunters want my scales because they have healing capabilities."

Dean didn't seem satisfied, "Explain."

"Well, if anyone takes one of my scales and puts it on a wound and pours water over it, then it will be healed. No scars. No infection. No cancer. Completely healed. That's why they are chasing me. It's for their own personal gain. I guess not every hunter is as self-righteous as you claim to be." I regretted it as soon as I said it, but there it was.

Dean glared at me intensely and I thought he might try and kill me right then and there, but instead he just cocked his head and said, "Alright prove it." Then he took his knife out and sliced his arm deeply. The blood began to run down the length of his forearm.

"What are you doing?" Sam tried to stop his brother, but it was too late.

Dean took a few steps towards me and jerked his arm at me, "Here. Heal me with your magical powers. Prove to me you are what you say you are, you little green eyed freak."

I maintained eye contact a while with him, searching through all of the layers of hate that Dean was displaying in his ever-paling face.

"Do something." Sam yelled at me, fear for his brother trumping any control I was beginning to have over him.

"Do you have a knife?" I looked up at Sam, my face softening.

Sam immediately grabbed one from inside his plaid shirt and handed it to me. I took it and went to work on one of my bright green iridescent scales. It was painful, but eventually I was able to work it off. I took it in my hand and was about to place it on Dean's waiting arm when he suddenly started to fall over towards the tub.

Luck was on our side, because Sam was right by him and caught Dean before he could join me unceremoniously in the tub. Sam guided him down next to the tub, keeping his arm so I could put the scale on him. I placed the scale directly on the cut and began cupping water onto Dean's arm with me other hand.

It instantly did its job and Dean's arm sowed itself back together.

Sam looked up at me with deep-seeded gratitude in his eyes, "Thank you."

* * *

 **Secondary Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Sorry it took so long to write! Let me know what you think of it so far. Feedback is always much appreciated.**


	7. An Angel of the Lord

**Author's Note: Good News, I think I will be able to update on the weekends pretty regularly depending on my homework workload level. General spoilers for everything up to season 8. Also, this is definitely AU because Cas will have his angel abilities. I want to thank DemonSkitty and ArtistKurai for their recent comments and support. And thanks again to every reader!**

Dean laid unconscious in his brother's arms and was as pale as the moon. Sam's eyebrows were furrowed as he looked concernedly at his older brother's grim state.

Looking up at me, he pondered aloud with a voice on the verge of panic, "Why is he still so pale?"

My heart filled with empathy towards Sam. I knew what it was like to have someone you love look so deathly. I reached out and touched Dean's forehead and his skin felt cold.

"The scale did its job, but Dean has lost a lot of blood. He just needs to rest for a while."

Sam nervously looked between Dean and I, but there was something missing from his reaction. Something different in the way he held Dean, as if it wasn't the first time.

I tried to comfort him by saying, "It's going to be okay. Dean seems like a strong guy. I'm sure a little blood loss isn't going to keep him down for long. We should move him somewhere he can rest and heal."

Sam nodded, his eyes unfocused. Then he looked at me with a sly smile and said, "I have a better idea." He closed his eyes and suddenly I heard a whooshing sound and a man appeared beside Sam.

"Sam, what is wrong with Dean? You said he is in trouble?" The man was wearing a trench coat and spoke with a gruff, deep voice. His eyes were filled with worry as he looked at Dean in Sam's arms. Then he noticed me in the tub and anger broke through his face, "Who is she? Did she do this?" The man took a few steps towards me with murder in his eyes.

Sam stopped him before he could hurt me, "Cas, she didn't do this. Leave her be."

I backed as far away as possible, thankful that I was still in this form in case I needed to defend myself. "Who the heck are you?" I asked, my voice much higher than I meant it to be.

They both ignored me, Sam directing all his attention to the mysterious man. "Cas, Dean lost a lot of blood and I was wondering if you could… you know do your forehead touch thing."

Cas frowned as he crouched down next to Sam and Dean, "What happened here?" He pressed his three middle fingers against his forehead and Dean's eyes shot open, his face returning to its original color.

"Cas? What happened?" Dean mumbled as he sat up, rubbing his temples like he had a headache.

"You lost a lot of blood and passed out, so Arrie put her scale on you and it healed, but you had lost too much blood, so I prayed and Cas came and healed you." Sam managed it all in one breath, relief washing through him.

I decided I better put my plan on hold until this _Cas_ guy leaves. I don't want anyone involved that doesn't have to be. I just hoped his appearance didn't ruin everything I was hoping would happen with the Winchester brothers. Truth be told, I knew a lot more about the Winchesters than I had let on before. I didn't connect the dots that these Winchesters were the same guys who had almost started and successfully stopped the apocalypse, until I was already stuck with them. At this point, I knew I either had to have them on my side, or run like hell as far away from them as possible.

Cas helped Dean stand up and Dean started examining his forearm and was amazed that there wasn't even a scar. "Impressive." He said absentmindedly.

Cas continued to look at me wearily, and I avoided eye contact because there was something off about him. He definitely wasn't human, and I had a hard-enough time dealing with those. "Who is she?"

Sam started to answer, but I cut him off, "My name is Arrie and as you can see I am a mermaid." I stretched my hand out to shake his, but he just stared at it so I quickly recoiled. "And what are you… Cas?"

His eyes narrowed and he stood a little taller, "It's Castiel, and I am an angel of the Lord."

My jaw involuntarily dropped, "An angel?"

"Yes. Of the Lord." He corrected.

I had heard of angels before and have long since knew of their existence, but had never been face to face with one before. I must admit he wasn't quite as holy looking as I had envisioned. "So the rumors are true, the Winchesters have an angel looking over them. Here I thought it was metaphorical."

Dean cocked his head a little, "I thought you said you hadn't heard of us."

"Well, what would you have done if the world's best hunters were threatening your life? I did what I had to do to keep Nerin safe."

Sam nodded, "If you have heard of us then you know that we _will_ kill you if you're lying to us about anything."

"Come on Sam, can't you see I am just a mermaid? What am I going to do? Splash you to death?" I changed my mind and decided to use some of my powers on Sam. I was originally just going to let nature take its course, but if Sam wasn't going to cooperate with my plan… then I would just have to make him.

"I believe her." Sam was suddenly smiling as his mood flipped from weary to total ease. Damn it. I hated it when my effect on men worked too well. It made it harder to conceal. Hopefully the angel wouldn't notice.

Dean and Cas both looked at Sam, but Sam wasn't paying them any attention. He began to look at me like a love-sick puppy, that is until the silence became awkward.

"Sammy?" Dean asked. Clearly aware that something was indeed off.

Sam snapped out of it and looked back and forth between Dean and Castiel before shrugging his shoulder, "What?"

"You okay?"

"Pfft… Yeah. I am fine. Why?"

"You trust her?"

Sam looked back at me, and I gave him my sincerest smile, "Yeah. I don't think it would benefit her to lie to us. If she had any powers, I think she would have used them against us by now."

Dean nodded seeming to accept his brother's answer for the moment, but Castiel didn't seem convinced. He continued to glare at me like I might sprout fangs and lung at him at any moment.

"So now that that's settled. How about you all give a girl some privacy?"

That made Castiel blush, and look away as if he realized that I was somehow naked even though I was still in my aquatic form.

"I am going to be waiting just outside the door, so don't do anything stupid." Dean threatened.

"Yeah, I know if I try anything I will be sleeping with the fishes. I get it."

Dean smiled a little as they all left the room.

I sighed and sunk my head under the water one more time, appreciating its warmth and the sense of security it gave me. Then heaved myself out of the tub, trying to avoid the puddle of blood left by Dean.

I heard yelling outside of the door and instantly began to worry about Nerin. It only took a minute for my legs to return, and I changed as fast as I could into my jeans.

I exited the bathroom, expecting to find Dean awaiting to escort me down the dining hall, but no one was there.

I rushed down the hall into the kitchen, and found Sam standing there running his hands through his hair anxiously.

"What happened?"

He turned around and looked glumly at me, "Nerin… he is gone."

 **Secondary Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to leave a comment. I always love feedback!**


	8. I Lost Someone Too

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this week's chapter. I am grateful for each one of you who takes the time to read my writing.**

My heart dropped the second Sam's words left his mouth. "No…" My eyes darted to the chair that Nerin was sitting in just minutes ago, and found it empty. I looked around the room and started to breathe heavy. Nerin, along with his backpack, was nowhere to be found. I looked up to Sam with panic in my eyes as he slowly approached me, his arms out in front of him in a cautious manner.

"Arrie. Arrie, listen to me. It's going to be okay. Dean and Cas are out looking for him as we speak."

"Nerin!" I yelled as I ignored him and began to search the room. What if Nerin got scared and decided to hid in one of the rooms? What if he remembered what I told him and saw it as the perfect opportunity to leave? It's all my fault. What if he left because of me? The other hunters are out there, I know it. They will find him and kill him if I don't find him first. "Nerin!"

I repeated his name several times as I rushed around the room and started down a hall. My mind kept frantically coming up with scenarios all ending in Nerin dead or badly injured, which was not helping to squelch the terror that was swallowing me. I can't lose him, I can't lose my baby.

Sam followed me and tried to calm me down, but he didn't stop me until I tried to go into a locked room. I started pulling on the handle and banging on the door, "Nerin, are you in there?"

"Arrie, he isn't in there. That room was locked before you got here." He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me around towards him. He held my wrists as I tried to punch him or push him away.

"Stop it! Let me go!" I yelled, my voice breaking. Sam pulled me closer to him, despite my struggles and rested his chin on my head.

"Shhhhh. It's going to be okay." He soothed as I finally gave in and became a limp noodle. My emotions to took over and I reached my hand to cover my mouth as the first sob hit me. He wrapped his arms around me and I cried against his chest.

After a moment, Sam ended the embrace and took a step back keeping a gentle grip on my arms. He swept away some of my hair that had stuck to my cheeks, and I looked up into his eyes. "I can't lose him."

Sam gave me a dimpled smile, "I know."

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and counted to three in my head. When I exhaled, my brain cleared, "I'm sorry. I don't normally cry like this."

"You don't need to apologize. Come on, let's get you something more comfortable to wear while we wait for Dean and Cas to come back."

"No. I want to go help them look for him."

"They have it handled. Cas is an angel remember, if anyone can find Nerin, it'd be him."

"But…" My brain was telling me that Sam was right and that Nerin would be fine, that he was probably just doing what I asked him to do and went to the nearest church, but my gut was screaming at me to just make Sam get out of my way so that I could look for Nerin on my own. I decided I better just sit tight for a while. That was the plan, right? He would escape and then I would find him as soon as I get out of here. I just never thought that he would actually do it.

"Okay, fine. But if anything happens to him, I swear I'll…" I tried to get up in his face, but failed miserably. He was nearly a foot taller than me, making it almost impossible to appear threatening to him.

"We don't want to hurt your brother. Nerin will be safe with Dean and Cas I promise."

Sam led me back up the hall and into a bedroom. "Just give me a second," he said as he went over to a dresser and began digging through it.

I looked around the room and noticed a lot of guns and knives displaced on the wall. Whoever slept here was definitely a hunter. I would know, because it wasn't the first time I had been in a hunter's house. It had been at least three decades since then, but hunters don't change much throughout the years. Even before the invention of guns, they liked to display their swords and daggers. Time has taught me much about hunters, but none of them have dealt with me in the same way as these Winchesters. Sure, they were gruff and ill-mannered, but they hadn't attempted to skewer me yet so they had that going for them. As much as I hate to admit it to myself, they have helped me out a lot the last few days.

My attention returned to Sam as his looming figure approached me with clothing in his hands. I went to take it, but noticed a small picture on the nightstand. I picked it up and studied the small boy with a bowl haircut with a young woman wrapping her arms around his shoulder from behind. They looked happy and I smiled as I asked, "Is this you?"

Sam looked at the photo with longing in his eyes, "No, that's my brother."

"Oh. And this is your mom?"

"Yeah that's her. Her name was Mary."

"What happened to her?"

"What do you mean?" Sam kept his eyes averted as he put down the cloths on the bed.

"I mean, I recognize that look. It's the look of someone who has lost a loved one."

He took the photo from me and placed it back on the night stand. "She died before I turned a year old."

"I'm so sorry. She was beautiful." I paused and touched his arm bringing his attention to me, "I lost someone too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I lost my husband. He died at sea a long… long time ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." He looked me up and down and I realized how confusing what I said must be. After all he has no idea who I really am. If he knew, he probably would have killed me by now. "So, I'm guessing you're not nineteen then?"

"Aren't you a detective." I turned around and grabbed the cloths off the bed, "I better change into this."

"You can't avoid my questions forever." Sam called out over his shoulder as he left me alone in what must have been Dean's room.

I sighed because he was right. They would keep asking, and I would keep avoiding, but eventually the truth would come out. I looked around the room again, and felt envious that these hunters could have a place to call home when I never will. It was part of my curse after all, to live everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I just wished that Nerin didn't have to be a part of my punishment.

I changed into the sweats and baggy t-shirt that Sam had provided for me. The sweats were way too big, and I had to tighten the draw string a lot to keep them up. I brought my gross cloths with me and ventured out of Dean's room. Sam was waiting outside the room, he was sitting across the hall with his head hung and his hair hung down and covered most of his face.

"You have a washing machine?"

"Of course," Sam stood up and I handed them to him, "I'll take care of it. I'm a pro at getting blood stains out."

"Yeah, I guess for a guy who kills people for a living you would have to be." I said harshly. I instantly noticed some hurt in his eyes and regretted saying it. I really should think more before I say stupid things.

"I don't kill people. I kill monsters. There's a difference."

"Is there?"

Sam looked me up and down again, a look I was getting used to from him. He didn't respond to my question, and instead walked down the hall. I returned to the dining room and sat at the table, unsure what else to do with myself.

Sam emerged from the hall not too long afterward. "I just got a call from Dean and I need to go help him with something."

"What's going on? Did he find Nerin?"

"No, but he did find a dead hunter by the name of Jack Rodgers. You ever come across him."

My eyes widened, "Yes. He was one of the men chasing us."

"Well, he was shot down a few miles from here. And he used to be a friend of a friend so Dean needs to check it out. I need to go help him with the body."

"I'm coming with you."

Sam continued to grab his jacket and head for the door. "I don't think that's a good idea. I don't think you're dangerous, but Dean and Cas still don't trust you. I don't want to leave you with them."

"Sam. Please. I need to look for my brother."

 **Secondary Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave a comment! Do you like where this story is headed? Have any tips on what I should work on? Helpful advice is always appreciated. Thanks again!**


	9. The Fire that Haunts Me

**Author's Note: Hello Supernatural Fandom! I want to thank mickey882 for the recent review and thanks of course to every reader! Your comments and support me so much to me!**

Sam made me put the blindfold back on and he led me back up to ground level. Apparently, Dean had come back to pick us up, because I was greeted with the familiar old leather and old rock when I got into the car.

"What is she doing here?"

"She is coming with us."

"The hell, she aint!"

"She wants to help look for her brother, you would do the same thing if it was me."

There was a long pause before Dean replied, "Okay Sammy. I don't like this. She is your problem if things go wrong."

The rest of the trip was filled with silence, well besides Dean's music that threatened to burst my eardrums. I decided not to argue with Dean, because I knew it wouldn't help the situation at all. Thankfully, I had Sam on my side, so maybe this would all turn out okay.

My hope was to find Nerin, probably hiding in a church or something, and bring him back with me. As much as I hated that the Winchesters were hunters, they offered more protection than being on the open road. Especially since I knew Jack Rodgers had a hunting partner by the name of Liam McKingsly, and he still must be out there looking for Nerin and I. Jack and Liam had been after us for about three months now. It was odd to think that it had already been three months since the incident in Maine.

Suddenly the music turned off, so I assumed we must have arrived at our destination, but they didn't get out of the car right away.

"You can take the blind fold off, Green Eyes."

I took the blindfold off and noticed we were parked in some alleyway with a large fence in front of us and trash cans littering the sides near the walls. I did my usual scan for possible exit strategies, and noted that there were only two doors on the sides, which might possibly be locked. Or I could try to climb the fence, but I personally suck at the whole upper body strength thing. The most logical thing to do though, would be to run back out towards the street.

My attention returned to the front of the car where both Winchesters were turned around facing me. I did not like the look they were giving me and had a bad feeling of where this was headed. "What?" I asked defiantly.

"First you show up out of nowhere and now two hunters are dead and we have a little mini-merman running around doing who-knows-what. Not to mention my poor baby was shot because of you. So, I am only going to ask you this one more time, what did you do to make Jack track you down this far inland? And don't give me the whole 'I'm an innocent mermaid, I can heal people' crap, because I'm not buying your shit." Dean finished his rant while revealing the knife he had been no doubt gripping the whole time.

Horrible images flashed through my brain as I remembered the fire that had consumed the house that I had been staying in three months ago. I struggled to try and figure out where to start, and decided I might as well just tell them the whole story. "It all went down three months ago, in Maine. An elderly man had taken Nerin and I in off the street. He was kind and needed help around his house, so we stayed with him for almost a week before they found us."

"They?"

"Yeah, Jack has a partner named Liam McKingsly."

They both nodded, seeming to remember the name, so I continued, "Jack and Liam had caught me in an alleyway when I was coming back from buying some groceries. They pinned me up against the wall and I... I thrashed against them, but they were too strong. They held a knife to my neck and… and made me come with them." I paused, not wanting to remember what happened next. Dean's glare prompted me to go on so I tried.

"They blindfolded me and took me to a trailer where I met Liam's wife. She lay on a cot, I guess they said she had been shot three times. There was so much blood, and she looked so near death it was hard to tell if her chest was rising and falling or not. They wanted me to heal her, and I wanted to help them, I really did. I told them… I told them I had to be in water for it to work, and at first they didn't believe me, but by the time they drew a bath and I was able to cut off the scale…." I started to tear up, and looked to Sam for comfort. He looked deep into my eyes and gave me a half smile as if telling me it was okay, that I would be okay. "It was too late. His wife had lost too much blood. I tried the scale anyways, but I knew it wouldn't work." I tried my best not to let the tears roll down my cheek, but one managed to escape.  
"The scale only works on the living." I added absentmindedly, loosing myself in grief.

"At least you tried to save her." Sam tried to encourage me, but it didn't work very well.

I wiped away another tear and took a deep breath before continuing, "Jack let me go while Liam was grieving, and I ran like hell back to the road and hitch hiked my way back to the old man's house. I tried to get Nerin to pack up everything, so that we could leave before they caught up to us. But we were too slow and Liam showed up as we were trying to leave. He… he started banging on the door and screaming at me. He kept calling me a monster and saying that if I had only tried harder that I could have saved her…. Then he, he threw this explosive through the window and I don't really know what it was but it set everything on fire. And… and the poor old man, he was sleeping. And I was so panicked I forgot…"

"It's okay Arrie. You don't have to finish." Sam comforted.

"No. I want to hear the whole story." Dean insisted which incurred a death glare from Sam.

"I forgot about the old man. And I just barely managed to escape with Nerin, we were both burned very badly. And I ran as fast as I could to the neighbor's house and I turned on their water hose and doused myself in water so that I could heal Nerin and I. We were okay, but the old man… I can still remember his screams."

I involuntarily shivered as I remembered the many nights I spent being haunted by the echoes of his screams and the images of Liam's poor wife, the only thing unable to burn in the flames that plagued my nightmares.

"Anything else?"

"I told you everything!" I glared at Dean, "Ever since then Liam has been hunting me down, trying to seek his revenge. I don't understand why he insists on killing me when I wasn't the one who shot his wife."

Dean stared at me for a minute, evaluating all I had said. "Okay kid, you know what, I think I believe you."

I smiled, grateful that he had believed the truth.

"Now, we need to find Nerin before Liam does. Who knows what he will do to that kid."

 **Secondary Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading! Sorry I couldn't get this in over the weekend, but Happy Valentine's Day. Please feel free to leave me a comment and tell me what you think of the story so far, I love the feedback.**


	10. The Wise Owl

**Author's Note: I will be on vacation this weekend so I won't be able to post a new chapter. Thankfully, I could make time to write one this week. This week's chapter is from Nerin's perspective, so I hope you like it! Special thanks to Happygoddess2003 for her recent review and support! And, of course, thanks to every reader!**

Arrie had been gone for about five minutes when I got bored of playing with Aquaman. I had already helped him save a porpoise out of a fisher's net _and_ rescued a damsel in distress from drowning, so obviously there wasn't much else to do. I got up from my chair and decided to do some exploring, but everything was just old and lame looking. Then I remembered what Arrie told me in the hospital. She told me to run the second I got a chance to escape.

I looked around the room and realized the only way out was back where we came through, so I grabbed Aquaman and put him back into his underwater layer. Then I swung my backpack over my shoulder and ran as quietly up the stars as possible. The door was unlocked, so I just walked right out all stealthily like and no one even tried to chase me. I shut the door super quiet like I'd seen Arrie do when she would slip out of our hotel room in the morning, trying not to wake me up. I don't sleep well though, so I always wake up. I pretend to sleep, because I know she needs to be away for a while and I don't want her worrying about me.

It was easy to find a road to follow and I just started walking, I figured If I staying on the road someone would pick me up and I could ride with them to the nearest church or fire station or whatever. Then Arrie's voice came rushing into my head, "Don't take a ride from strangers unless I am with you. If you are all alone, bad people can take you away and I will never see you again." I stopped walking so I could think about what she said and if I really had to listen to it. I mean we take rides from people all the time, and they are normally nice. But I was like eight when she told me that, so maybe I am old enough now to get rides by myself.

I started my trudge again and my attention drew to my surroundings. There were some trees on my right and a field on my left. Behind me was the round-brick-surrounded door that Arrie was still trapped in. I felt a little guilty leaving her behind, but I knew she would be proud of me. I mean, I was listening to her like a good big boy would, so why would she be mad? Ahead of me was the road that would lead me away from the only person in the world that I loved. As I walked away I felt very heavy, which is weird because I am used to walking a lot and it never really has bothered me.

I zipped up my jacket a little more as a cold gust blew in. There weren't any cars for a long while, so I was just left with my thoughts and the view around me. I had walked probably two miles before I heard a car coming in the distance from behind me. I felt panic as I was sure it was those two big hunters, so I ran straight into the woods on my right and crouched down under some brush. I made a peaking hole, so I could see if the car was them or not.

Sure enough, it was that black car and the hunters. They were driving slow and I noticed there was a different man riding with Dean. They were both looking out their windows, and Dean was calling out my name. I stayed as quiet as a mouse, so that they wouldn't notice me.

The car left my peaking hole, but I stayed there for ten more minutes in case they came back. I didn't hear them come back and it was beginning to darken, so I left my spot and returned to the road. After a while I could see the road was leading me to a city because the lights glowed in the darkening sky. It was only 5 pm and in the Fall, it got darker faster. That's what Arrie told me.

 _Hoo-hooo hoo-hooo_

The sound startled me at first, and I spun around looked all over to figure about where it was coming from.

 _Hoo-hooo hoo-hoooo_

I looked up and found the source of the deep and somewhat scary sound, an owl was perched on a branch in a tree that was close to the road. Its bright yellow eyes stood out in the paling sky and it reminded me of Arrie's green ones. It struck me that Arrie and the owl were a lot alike. Arrie's eyes glowed just like the owl's, and Arrie like to stay up really late too. And I read once in a book that owl's were wise, although I don't really remember why. Maybe it's because they only come out at night and it's easier for them to catch their prey, and they don't have to be afraid of anyone because the darkness protects them. I don't know. But Arrie is wise too, so maybe she should have been an owl instead of a mermaid. Maybe then she could fly away from the hunters instead.

The owl continued to star at me all wide eyed, and then it spun its head to the side and must of seen something more interesting than me because he flew away before I could try and come closer to get a better look at him. Part of me really wanted to follow him, but I knew it was pointless. He had wings _and_ wisdom, and I wasn't even a merman…. Or wise.

After that, I walked all the way to the city. A few cars passed me and each time I had to run back into the woods or drop down on the side of the ditch just in case it was the hunter and his friend. No one found me, of course, because I am a really good hider.

The first building that I came across was a church. I couldn't believe by luck! It was old looking with a giant white cross standing on top of the steeple. I remembered a rhyme that a girl showed me a few weeks ago, we met her at a church that was helping us out. She was blonde and smelled pretty like orange sherbet. I remembered the rhyme she showed me and there were hand motions with it as well, first you slide your fingers together and line up you pointing fingers and thumbs so that it looks like a church. _Here are the doors, and this is the steeple. Open the doors and where's all the people?_ Then I interlock my fingers so that they are on the inside. _Here are the doors, and this is the steeple. Open the doors and here's all the people!_

I played the game and rhyme as I walked up to the doors. Light flooded underneath, so I knew someone was in there. I knocked on the door and no one answered, so I tried it again. Still no answer. I tried pushing the door open and it swung wide inside. I walked in and was greeted with warmth and silence. It felt weird to me that no one was in there when the lights were on and the door was unlocked.

"Is… is someone in here?" I called out nervously.

Still no answer. The door led right directly into the sanctuary, which was really big. Like as big as two houses put together at least. There were pews on the right and left with one large pathway leading down to the front where a cross stood and a Jesus hung from it. Moonlight was flooding from the stain glass windows, causing beautiful colors to line the floors and pews. I walked down the center, not sure where else to go. Since no one else was here, I decided to lay down on one of the pews. I was very tired, and hungry. But mostly tired. I was used to hunger and knew I could survive without for a while, besides I am sure Arrie will come get me soon.

I was awoken by a man shaking my shoulder, "Boy, wake up."

I groggily opened my eyes and couldn't believe that it was sunny outside! I looked at my watch and saw that it was eight am. I did not mean to take that long of a nap. The man that stood over me was dressed in a black suit with a white square that sat in the middle of the collar. He was middle aged, and smiled down at me as I struggled to wake my body up.

"What's your name, my boy?" He reached out his hand and I shook it.

"Nerin."

"That's a strong name." He smiled at me, "Mine is Reverend Peterson. Now Nerin, I don't mind that you slept here last night. This is a house of the Lord and all of God's children are welcome, but I need to know… where are your parent's?"

Reverend Peterson sat next to me on the pew and I answered him, "I don't have any parents. They died when I was a baby… But I do have a sister. She should be coming to get me soon."

"I am sorry about your parents; may they rest in peace and let the Lord keep them as they sleep. And where is your sister now?"

"I don't know. We got separated and…. And she told me to go to a church and that she would find me here."

"Ah, I see. Well your free to stay as long as you need. Are you hungry?"

Nerin felt his stomach growl at the thought of food, "Very."

"How about I take you to breakfast?"  
"I don't know… my sister is supposed to come here."

"It's okay my boy, Sister Margret is here and I will let her know that you are expecting her. We won't be long, I promise."

"Okay." I thought about it and figured that it wouldn't do much harm if I just went with him for a little while. I mean, he is a Reverend. They had to be good or God would probably strike them with lightning or something.

I followed Reverend Peterson out of the church and to his car. It was an older one, and the inside smelled like Tabaco. I scrunched my nose up, because I hate the smell. It reminds me too much of fire… and I _hate_ fire.

"How does Sheri's sound? You like waffles?"

"Who doesn't like waffles?"

It only took us a few minutes to get there and there was a really pretty waitress that sat us at a booth. Reverend Peterson said I could have _whatever_ I wanted, which was so cool. I ordered a waffle with chocolate drizzled on top, and extra whip cream. Reverend Peterson ordered the same thing, he said I had a good eye for breakfast food. Then he got to talking and said a lot of things, most of it religious and I didn't pay him much attention. I was too focused on my hot chocolate.

The meal came and went, and boy was it delicious. I didn't realize how hungry I had been. It felt nice to have a full belly again. Reverend Peterson said I was a good boy, and that I'd grow up nice and strong if I kept eatin' like that.

"Well, it looks like we better head back to the church."

I held Reverend Peterson's hand as we left Sheri's. I decided I liked him, even if he said lots of big words I didn't understand and kept calling me "my boy" when I wasn't his at all. We approached the old car that was sitting in the back-parking lot because the front was too full, when suddenly Reverend Peterson yelled and fell to the ground. I turned around and a large man held a gun pointed right at my face.

 **Secondary Author's Note: Well that turned out way longer than I thought it would. Hope you liked it. It was a challenge to try and get into Nerin's young mind and I hope I did him justice. Let me know what you think, feedback is always very much appreciated.**


	11. Mr Feathers and the Fish

**Author's Note: Hello everybody! I feel like I say the same thing in each intro, so you know what? Here. Have a chapter. (Also thanks to Happygoddess2003 for her recent comment and support! Also thanks for reading** **J** **) P.S. We are back to Arrie's perspective.**

I felt like a weight had lifted from my chest. It had been so long since the incident happened, and I hadn't been able to talk about it to anybody. I mean sure I had Nerin, but there was no way I could tell him about Liam's wife. I want to protect him from the evils of this world as long as I can.

"Dean and Cas are going to give Jack a proper hunter's burial while we go look for Nerin." Sam informed me from the front passenger's seat.

Dean shot him a concerned glance and interjected, "No, I don't think so. I think you and I should bury Jack, I mean he saved our lives back in Ohio. You should be the one helping me. Not Cas."

Sam gave him a look that said _I am an adult and can make my own decisions._ "You really think it's a good idea to send her with Cas. He did just try to kill her."

"We would have done the same thing if we found Cas in that condition with her in the room."

"Um… excuse me. Her is back here and her has a name." I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster. "Don't I get a say in who goes with me?"

"No." They both said in unison and I threw up my hands in exasperation.

"Sammy, can I talk to you privately for a minute?" Dean asked through gritted teeth, signaling with his head that they should exit the car.

Sam stared at him for a little while, defiance etched in the frown lines of his face. "No."

"Okay fine. We will do this here then." Dean drew in a breath through his flaring nostrils, "What's gotten into you man? I don't know what she did to make you go all googly eyes on her, but there is something wrong here. Ever since we met Arrie, you have been acting strange and I don't trust you spending more alone time with her."

"Oh, so that's what this is about?" Sam scoffed, "You don't trust me."

"That's what you got out of what I said?" Dean yelled, "I am trying to protect you."

"I don't need your protection, Dean. I am not a little five-year-old anymore. I can make my own decisions."

"Hey, hey, hey!" I interjected, "Let's all take a deep breath. I can see you both obviously have some issues you need to work through, but now is NOT the time. My brother is lost out there with a psychopath hunter on the loose and I am going to go look for him regardless which of the three stooges comes with me." As I finished I got out of the Impala, which prompted them both to get out as well.

Sam and Dean were both still making death glares at one another, so I started to walk down the alleyway back where we came from.

"Hey, not so fast." Dean bellowed at me, so I turned around.

"Well, I'm not waiting any longer. So, who is coming with me?"

Sam spoke up, "Send Cas with her. You were right. I should be the one to help you with Jack. I owe it to him." He seemed deflated with his shoulders hunched, and I felt sympathy for him. It was never easy to admit that you are wrong about something, especially to admit it to a sibling.

Dean gave a cocky grin, but refrained from commenting.

"Okay, so where is your angel anyways?"

"He with the body, it's just a few miles out. I'll take you there and then we will part ways."

We all got back into the Impala, and Dean drove us the rest of the way to the crime scene. I had a bad feeling about it all. I was not looking forward to seeing Jack's dead body. I was afraid that it would bring back unwanted memories of all that had happened in Maine. I was also really not looking forward to spending time with the angel. He didn't seem to like me, and I wasn't particularly fond of him either. I just hoped that Nerin was safe wherever he was at and that he wasn't in the hands of Liam.

Dean explained to me that he had been shot down in an alleyway behind an abandoned liquor store just three blocks from and Evangelical church they had searched through looking for Nerin. By Cas's estimation he had been dead a few days, and was shot once in the head, execution style. When we pulled up to the liquor store, Cas was waiting for us.

"Why did you bring the mermaid?" Cas asked, instantly taking an offensive tone. "I thought you told Sam specifically not to involve the non-human."

I rolled my eyes, "It's nice to see you again too, Mr. Feathers."

"My… my name is not Mr. Feathers."

"Anyways, she is actually going to go with you to search for Nerin." Dean said slowly, knowing that Cas wouldn't react well to the idea.

Castiel tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes, "Why do I have to go with the fish?"

"My name is Arrie, Mr. Feathers."

"You have to go with her because I need to help Dean give Jack a hunter's burial and we aren't letting Arrie go without one of us with her." Sam answered the disenchanted angel.

"Fine. But this is for the boy, not for you." Cas responded.

"I'm not looking forward to this either Mr. Feathers, but it's our only option at the moment."

"My name is not Mr. Feathers. It is Castiel."

I just rolled my eyes, apparently, the angel didn't understand joking or sarcasm very well.

"So, are we just supposed to walk, or do you have a car?"

"I have wings, we don't need to walk."

"We do if we want to search for Nerin."

Cas smirked a little as he took his three middle fingers and pressed them on my forehead. I reflexively closed my eyes and felt a surge of power run through me, and when I opened them I was no longer near the liquor store. I felt a wave of nausea come over me and I turned to the angel, "What the hell did you just do?"

"I teleported us to the nearest fire station. Dean said that was one of the places you told Nerin to go to if he got separated from you."

"Okay, I'll pretend like that's normal."

We both entered the fire station, but I had a feeling Nerin wasn't going to be where I had asked him to be. We searched through three different fire stations, and two police stations with no luck. By that time, it was midnight and Cas teleported us to what I thought was going to be a church, but instead was the bunker.

"Hey, I thought you said we were going to a church next?"

"I lied so that you wouldn't object to coming with me back to the bunker."

"Damn you Castiel. I am not done looking for my brother."

Dean and Sam were sitting in the kitchen eating what looked like a very late dinner of fast food hamburgers.

"Arrie, it's okay. We called Cas and asked him to bring you here. It's midnight, and you need your sleep. You have had a long day and you won't be very useful in finding Nerin if you're sleep deprived." Sam tried to calm me with his logic.

"My brother is still out there, alone and probably terrified, and if you think for one second that I am going to sleep then you're…."

"Cas!" I heard Sam yell as Castiel pressed his fingers against my forehead and I blacked out.

 **Secondary Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a comment and tell me what you thought, feedback is always very much appreciated.**


	12. Sleeping and Waking

**Author's Note: Hello SPN fandom, hope you enjoy this week's chapter! I want to thank Happygoddess2003 again for her recent comment and support! It means a lot to me to have such awesome readers!**

-Nerin-

"Who are you?" I tentatively asked the man who stood before me with a gun pointed directly at my head. I was too scared to run, and the man was just staring at me so that's why I asked it.

"The name's Liam. You're the sea-witch's little brother aint ya?" Liam cocked his head to the side and lowered his gun.

He was tall, not like the tall Winchester, but taller than Arrie. He was definitely a hunter, I could tell from the way he was dressed and how he stood. He had shoulder length blonde greasy hair, the only thing keeping it from falling over his face was a dark green baseball cap that was covered in grease stains and littered with holes.

Arrie told me all about the hunters and how evil they were, and that they chased us because they didn't like how she could heal people. I kinda liked Sam and Dean, they were nicer than the other hunters and they helped me and my sister. But this guy did not seem as friendly.

I nodded slowly, trying to prevent the tears that wanted to swell to the surface.

"Well, I've been lookin' for yer sis a loooong time little guy." Liam moved closer and laid his hand on my shoulder. "How's about ya help me find her? Hmmm? She around here kid?"

I shook my head no. I was so scared I couldn't move, there was something so off about this guy. I felt like I remembered his voice, but it was too deep a memory. One that was too scary to think about. I knew I had to escape, but I didn't know how since he had a gun.

"Alright, well yer going to help me anyways."

"No! Please leave me alone!" I screamed as Liam pulled me towards him.

"Shhhh… just breathe in the perfume and let the darkness seround ya kid." He said as he lifted a cloth over my face. For some reason, I just knew I shouldn't breathe, but it was so hard to hold it in though and I just couldn't hold it in anymore. So I breathed in and the rage smelled awful, so I tried to kick and squirm my way out but Liam was too strong. I tried to scream again, but only a muffled whisper escaped as I sunk into darkness.

-Arrie-

I woke up feeling surprisingly rested when I considered the last few days of hell I'd been through. That stupid angel must have put me to sleep because I woke up in someone's bedroom. I slowly sat up, realizing it wasn't the one I had visited earlier. This one was more nicely decorated and it still had a few knives and guns displaced, but not to the same caliber as Dean's room. I decided this one must have been Sammy's. Wait did I just call him Sammy? I shook my head and threw the blankets aside, now was not the time to fall in love with a hunter.

There was a master bathroom connected to Sam's bedroom, and I contemplated just marching strait out there and insisting that we continue to search for Nerin or even just slipping out hopefully unnoticed, but decided against it when I saw my reflection in the mirror. I was still dressed in the baggy sweats and t-shirt I borrowed from Dean and my auburn hair was a disheveled mess. I couldn't remember the last time I really looked at myself, I mean of course it gets old over the millennia, but it still surprised me how much my appearance could change without me knowing it. My bright green glowing eyes were sunken in and I had even more freckles on my pale white skin. I looked older somehow, which is impossible because I can't age, being the immortal that I am.

I decided that I might as well take a bath and rejuvenate myself, it would replenish some of my strength and hopefully make me look more publicly acceptable.

When I was done, I decided to borrow a pair of sweats and t-shirt from Sam. I thought Dean's cloths were huge on me, but they were snug in comparison with how Sam's fit. I just cinched them up as much as I could and hoped for the best, so much for being looking publicly acceptable.

I was greeted with the smell of bacon wafting down the hallway as I entered the kitchen. Dean was cooking and humming… Metallica?

"You cook?" I asked in mock astonishment as I pulled up a chair at the dining room table.

Dean looked up in surprise, and his countenance brightened a little. "Well look who decided to wake up, it's the green-eyed sleeping beauty."

I rolled my eyes, "How long was I out?"

Dean turned and continued to assemble whatever it was that he was making, "Oh about eight hours. I wanted to wake you up earlier, but Ol' Sammy wouldn't have it."

"Where is Sam?"

"Him and Cas left early this morning to go look for Nerin."

"Dammit! If it wasn't for your stupid angel, I would have found him by now."

Dean slammed down the spatula he had been using onto the counter top, the tension in the air thicken before he turned around and replied, "My stupid angel, has been looking for him all night. So, you can shut your cake whole and eat your breakfast." Dean demanded as he set the plate of bacon, eggs, and hash browns down in front of me. "You like OJ Little Mermaid? Or are you a coffee kinda fish?" He asked insincerely.

"Huh, you're a real piece of work Winchester."

"Coffee it is. Oh, and you're welcome for breakfast."

Part of me didn't want to eat it just to spite him, but it smelled so good and I really was hungry. "Yeah, thanks…" I mumbled through a mouth full of hash browns and eggs.

Dean got himself some coffee as well and I noticed that he was pouring something else in it, was that whiskey? This early in the morning? He looked over his shoulder and noticed me staring at him with judgment set in my jaw.

"What?"

"Don't you think it's a little soon for that?"

He made a face and shrugged his shoulders before taking a swig directly from the bottle. He twisted the lid back on and put the whiskey back into the liquor cabinet. "I'd offer you some, but I don't serve minors." He sat down opposite of me and continued to scarf his own breakfast.

"Well I would have declined anyways. Even though I am certainly not nineteen, I don't need my judgment clouded for when I go out to look for Nerin." Dean just rolled his eyes and continued to devour his large breakfast.

It was disgusting how he ate and I was never one for awkward silences, so I wanted to make some polite chit-chat. The problem was I knew very little about Dean, other than that he was a hunter who has stopped the world from being destroyed a few times and has killed several members of the family, but I don't care about them anyways so that doesn't bother me much. Well other than the fact that if he finds out who I really am, he'd probably kill me instantly.

"So… can I ask why you and your brother are helping me so much? I mean, last time I checked the Winchesters weren't exactly known for their mercy towards _monsters._ " The word felt like venom in my mouth and I spat it out more harshly than I should have.

Dean continued to shovel eggs down his gullet, and took a big quaff of coffee before replying, "If it was up to me you'd be dead already, but thanks to my brother you're still alive. He doesn't seem to think you're as evil as you really are. I'm going along with what he wants because frankly, your story seems legit and if there is a rogue hunter out there killing innocent people to get to you then that needs to be stopped."

I nodded, deciding that this conversation was only going to make me more upset. I tried to just focus on finishing the breakfast so that I could get going and maybe meet up with Sammy wherever he was right now.

Dean kept looking up from his food and giving me a glare that ranged somewhere between _I wish I could rip your throat out_ to just plain curiosity. "So… do you not have a pair of your own cloths to change into?"

The question caught me off guard. I looked down at the oversized cloths I was wearing and wished that the only pair I had wasn't ruined with blood and bullet holes. "Uh yeah. The only pair I had since the fire was the one I was wearing when I got shot. I don't think I can wear them out in public since there is a pretty obvious bullet hole." I spoke slowly, trying not to look as embarrassed as I felt.

Dean gave me a look of genuine sympathy, or maybe it was pity, I'm not sure. He got up from the dinner table, his empty plate in hand and walked towards the sink. He returned with a plastic bag that he retrieved from the counter. "That's what I thought… so I picked up some cloths for you." He paused and looked inside the bag before handing it to me. "I obviously didn't know what size you were, so hopefully these aren't too big for you. They will definitely fit you better than anything in Sam's wardrobe."

I laughed a little to relieve some of the awkward tension in the air. I took out the cloths from the plastic bag that had a large GILBERT'S GASTATION logo on the front and back. He bought me a red girl cut t-shirt with bold white block letters that read Lebanon, Kansas: The Center of the U.S. and below it was a map of the U.S. with a little star directly in the middle. He also got me a pair of gray sweats that had _Lebanon, Kansas_ written laterally down the sides in cursive handwriting. I looked up from them and gave him an earnest smile. It was hard to express the depth of gratitude I was feeling right then. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath so that I wouldn't become emotional.

I looked back up at him, but he was avoiding my gaze.

"Dean."

He looked into my eyes and nervously jested, "I was just tired of sharing my cloths with a fish so…"

"Thank you, Dean. I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah, just shut up and put them on and we will go join Sam and Cas."

 **Secondary Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think by leaving me a comment. I always appreciate feedback.**


	13. A Revelation

**Author's Note: Hello Supernatural Fandom! It's been a while, sorry it took me so long to post another chapter. I have had midterms the last two weeks and my life has been crazy. Finally got some time to sit down and write. Hope you enjoy! I want to thank each and every reader, you guys are a wonderful encouragement to me.**

I had changed into the clothing Dean had bought me, and was emerging from Sam's bedroom when Dean hung up the phone.

"That was Cas. They found a Reverend knocked out by an assailant matching Liam's description. Police are at the scene. We will go join them, but we have to go undercover."

"Ah, so that's why you guys dressed as feds at the hospital? That makes sense. So, what will I be then? I can't imagine you have an extra badge lying around, do you?" I asked, mentally noting how good at deceiving people Sam and Dean were.

"No, that won't be necessary. You don't have to fake it, because you _are_ looking for your brother. As long as you keep your sunglasses on and don't draw too much attention to yourself. Sam and I will make sure the cops are aware that you are under our protection." Dean already had his jacket on and was heading out the door so I hurried up and followed him out.

When we arrived on the scene there were a few police cars and two men, who were wearing cheap suits, were interviewing an elderly man who was sitting inside an ambulance, clutching a bag of ice to his head. I immediately recognized the suits to be Sam and Cas.

Dean and I just stepped out of the Impala as they finished interviewing the man and began walking towards us.

"So who's the old guy?" Dean asked.

"His name is Reverend Peterson." Sam replied crossing his arms over his chest.

"And what happened to the guy? Was it Liam?"

"Sounds like it. He said he had just taken a lost boy to breakfast and was going to unlock his car when someone came up behind him and hit him in the head. Reverend Peterson said he blacked out and all he remembers is waking up and the boy being gone."

"So he didn't get a look at the guy at all?" I asked, trying to remain calm even though my heart was racing.

Sam sighed, "No, but someone from the diner saw them leaving and a tall man with blonde hair wearing a green baseball cap followed them out. The waitress said he looked sketchy so that is why she remembered it."

"I think it is easy to deduce that Liam is the one who took your brother. Unless there are other people chasing you that you haven't told us about." Cas said his low gravelly voice.

I paused, searching my memory bank for anyone that might register as a present threat. "No. No one else has been actively following me. I mean we have had run-ins with hunters in the past, but no one is as bent of finding us as Liam is."

Sam nodded his lips pursed together, "The waitress is giving a description of the man she saw to a sketch artist, so hopefully that will rule out any other possibilities."

"And they are sure it was Nerin?"

Both Cas and Sam nodded in affirmation.

I shook my head; my worst fear was coming true. I started to hyperventilate as every possible bad thing that could happen to Nerin zoomed through my brain. I ran my hands through my hair and turned away from the boys. I placed my hands on the Impala and let my head hang, trying to force myself to take deeper breaths. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, it squeezed me gently and I looked up. I was surprised to find that the hand belonged to Dean, and not Sammy.

Dean was looking at me with compassion I didn't think was possible for a hunter. He didn't say anything, just squeezed my shoulder again and offered me a half smile. I tried to smile back, but it must have looked as fake as it felt.

"We are going to find him." Sam stated. There was a confidence in his voice that was comforting, as if him saying that would make it so.

"You don't understand. I can't lose him… I can't… I can't lose my son."

Sam and Dean both looked at one another in disbelief, but it was Cas who spoke first.

"I thought you guys told me the kid was the fish's brother?" Cas was oblivious the importance of the revelation I had just shared.

Dean's face went from shocked to angry in about two seconds, "Come again?"

"Arrie, why would you lie to us?" Sam asked. I felt guilt starting to bubble through me as I saw the hurt in Sam's eyes.

I raised my hands up, signaling that an explanation was about to be given. "I didn't tell you guys before because Nerin doesn't know." I paused, searching each of their faces for signs of acceptance. I wasn't getting any so I continued, "It is safer if he doesn't know. I just wanted him to be normal! And he can't be if he knows that his mother is an ancient mermaid!" My voice was raising in pitch, and Sam looked around nervously as he held a finger to his lips and told me to keep my voice down.

"You could have told us." Sam reasoned, the hurt still in the lines of the frown on his face.

"I hadn't told anyone." Sam nodded at this, but still wouldn't make eye contact with me. I looked at Dean who was staring at me with the same fury as the day he visited me at the hospital and found out I wasn't human. Cas was looking at me, or maybe through me. Either way he seemed indifferent about the new development. There was an awkward silence for almost a minute.

"Does that mean Nerin is a mermaid too?" Dean asked, breaking the tense silence.

"Merman." Cas corrected.

"Mermaid, merman, I don't care what you want to call him. Is the boy a freaking fish or not?" Dean demanded.

I flinched at the sudden escalate of temper, "No… no, not yet. Not till he turns fourteen."

Sam moved towards me and I instinctively put my hands up to defend myself, but he just reached past me and pulled the passenger's door open. "This doesn't change anything. We still have to find the boy."

 **Secondary Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this week's chapter. Please leave me a review telling me what you like/don't like about the story!**


End file.
